With literally one episode in into HBO’s House of the Dragon and with its second episode not even aired yet, the network has already agreed to renew and greenlight the epic fantasy show for a second season. The first episode of the Game of Thrones prequel series which is set 170 years before the events of the original show, HBO record set a record for the premiere of a new show, with nearly 10 million viewers overnight watching. As a result, it has been reported by HBO that the viewership for the premiere has grown to more than 20 million viewers.

The executive vice president of HBO Programming stated, “We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season 1. Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see TV. We could not be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season 2.”

House of the Dragon chronicles the civil war that led to the downfall of House Targaryen. It portrays the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, the events leading up to and covering the Targaryen war of succession, known as the Dance of the Dragons.

Season two of House of the Dragon may only be the beginning of the Game of Thrones universe coming to HBO in the near future. HBO has at least seven Game of Thrones spinoff projects in development (four scripted, at least three animated). Dragon opening well enough to warrant a speedy second-season renewal could bode well for at least one other project getting an eventual series order. The network has a Jon Snow sequel series in the works, and author George R. R. Martin has said in interviews that there are more than half a dozen projects in various stages of development.